Aug. 2 Texans camp tidbits: Johnson dislocates finger

By John McClain |
August 2, 2011

OH NO, EIGHT-OH: Gary Kubiak admitted he has a big lump in his throat “like everyone else” after hearing the news Tuesday that star wide receiver Andre Johnson dislocated his left index finger during the morning session.

Working against rookie cornerback Roc Carmichael in a one-on-one drill, rookie quarterback T.J. Yates threw a high pass to Johnson, who elevated and raised his left hand to corral the football. The ball skipped away, and when Johnson came down, he was caressing his left hand.

He was given immediate attention and taken inside for observation.

Team spokespersons were quick to point out that Johnson played virtually all of 2010 with a bad ankle and was still stellar, the insinuation being that a finger ailment of any kind wouldn’t sideline the All-Pro for long.

The upshot? The coverage by Carmichael, the fourth-round choice out of Virginia Tech, was pretty solid.

VICKERS VISITING: Free agent fullback Lawrence Vickers, who played his first five seasons with Cleveland and resides in Houston, visited the Texans today. He took a physical. Agent Drew Rosenhaus continues to talk to general manager Rick Smith.

“My job is to continue to always try to get better,” Smith said after the morning practice. “So the roster is never set, in my opinion. We’ll continue to look, and I think there are some areas on our team that we might be able to improve, depth-wise.

“You mention the fullback position, and we’ve got (Vickers) taking a physical now. We’ll talk with him and visit with him later today. We’ll continue to try to upgrade our roster constantly.”

TRAVELING MAN: Former New England defensive end Ty Warren, who wants to return to Texas and play for the Cowboys or Texans, visited the Texans on Monday. He was in Denver on Sunday. He left Houston for Kansas City. Word is that Warren is out of shape and overweight after missing last season because of a hip injury.

“We had a good visit,” general manager Rick Smith said. “I think this is a good spot for him. We talked a long time about all the reasons I think it’s a good spot for him. I think he believes so.

“But he’s got some options. We’ll get a chance to re-visit with him later today and see where he is in his decision-making process. We feel pretty comfortable about where he is (physically). I’m not going to pressure him. We’re going to let him make that decision on his terms.”

QUARTERBACK UPDATE: Because free agents who signed with new teams or re-signed with old teams can’t practice until Thursday, quarterbacks Matt Schaub and T.J. Yates are having to take all the snaps. Matt Leinart, who re-signed with the Texans, can’t practice until Thursday when the new league year begins.

Schaub and Yates have been taking turns with the third team. Schaub goes from first to third team and Yates from second to third. Naturally, Thursday can’t get here fast enough for Schaub.

The coaches say Yates has picked up the system well and is making the right reads and throwing to the correct receiver.

A LOT OF WATT-AGE: Watching defensive end J.J. Watt, the first-round pick from Wisconsin, it’s clear he knows what he’s doing. At 6-5, 290, Watt has good size. He’s also very athletic. The coaches have been impressed with his decision-making during the first two days of practice.

One coach who watched Watt during the first three practices said they knew about his ability and how intelligent he is, but they didn’t realize he’d pick things up so easy. The coach was impressed with the way Watt adjusted when something didn’t work.

WHAT’S IN A NUMBER: Second-year running back Ben Tate missed his rookie season with a broken bone in his foot. He suffered in the injury in the first preseason game. Last season, Tate wanted No. 44, but it was worn by fullback Vonta Leach. When Leach signed with Baltimore this week, Tate switched to No. 44.

“Well, it went back to last year,” Tate said. “I tried to get it from Vonta -- ‘Leach to the Beach.’ He wanted a ridiculous number for it, so that wasn’t going to happen. Unfortunately, he’s gone this year (and), I had a chance to get 44 back.”

Last year, his “Leach to the Beach” shirts helped promote him for the Pro Bowl, where he started for the AFC in the annual game in Hawaii.

QUIN IMPRESSES: Glover Quin enters his third season as the leader of the secondary. The coaches and scouts say he’s making a smooth transition.

Quin started his first two seasons at cornerback but has been moved to safety. Coach Gary Kubiak said he thinks Quin can become a Pro Bowl safety.

New defensive coordinator Wade Phillips wants his safeties to be interchangeable. They have to be able to run and cover and drop down to stop the run and rush the passer.

“I feel better and natural back there,” Quin said after practice. “I just feel like that’s what I was born to do, but I like to play whatever they ask me to play. I’m actually working out at strong safety, so you have to know it all. You have to know the strong (safety). You have to know the free (safety). You have to know the corner, and you have to know the nickel to be a versatile player. It’s been a good transition, and it’s been fun you just have to continue to work at it.”

THE NOSE KNOWS: When Wade Phillips was hired and his 3-4 defense was installed, second-year defensive tackle Earl Mitchell found out he would have to play on the nose.

“Obviously, I have confidence in myself, but I’ve got to keep working and do whatever it takes,” said Mitchell. “It’s the nature of the business. Once your number is called, all you can do is just do what you can do.

“It’s pretty nice, though and I wish him (Amobi Okoye) well, but I’ve got my job to do, and I’ve got a career of my own, so I’ve got to do whatever I can do.”

Phillips has Mitchell’s respect.

“You can just tell that everyone knows their responsibilities, and everyone is on the same page,” Mitchell said. “We just listen to what he has to say because he knows a lot more than us.”